The traditional tailback is getting squeezed out of college football, the pressure coming from the NFL and high schools. How will Ohio State be affected? Well, they don’t call him Urban Renewal for nothing.

Forget what Urban Meyer says about OSU continuing to build on its reputation as something of a Tailback U., where Beanie followed Eddie, who followed Robert who followed Keith who followed Tim who followed Archie, who followed a line of running-back legends that included Hop Cassady, Vic Janowicz, Les Horvath and Chic Harley.

Meyer knows football is changing and he adapts to trends that take hold. He will tear down and clear away aging infrastructure that stands in the way of progress. And the standard running-back position is not progressive.

The NFL, with rules that crack down on defensive contact against quarterbacks and receivers, has become a game of pitch and catch. Bigger and fasters defenders also shorten a tailback’s shelf life, and the result is that running back — at least when conducted as a one-man operation — no longer is the featured position.

On the other end, high schools continue to implement spread offenses that are difficult to defend against because most schools lack the lockdown cornerbacks necessary to cover receivers in space.

“It actually started in high school and worked its way up ... into the NFL,” Michigan coach Brady Hoke said yesterday during the Big Ten spring preview.

College is getting caught between the two sides. Fewer traditional tailbacks — those who line up in the I-formation and are featured on isolation or power runs — are being developed in high school, and because NFL devalues running backs, fewer exceptional recruits are likely to choose to play the position in the first place.

Meyer will adjust, turning his tailbacks into multipurpose players. It will not seem like a sea change at first. The Buckeyes still will run their tailbacks, but the “November weather” offense on which the program was built gradually will fade. Meyer’s modern backfield means that former running backs will face slim threat of their rushing records being broken.

And Ohio State sentimentalists who prefer the off tackle to the swing pass will be asked to stand down.

“The game has changed a lot,” said Northwestern coach Pat Fitzgerald, explaining that the future arrived in Evanston more than a decade ago. “Teams are running similar offenses to the spread. That’s been happening for 15 to 20 years now, where you’re not bringing in the traditional running back. Now you’re running zone scheme with smaller, faster guys.”

The transition from standard power back to versatile playmaker can seem shocking for schools such as Ohio State, where the traditional tailback has been a staple of the offense for decades. How will the Buckeyes respond?

“It’s just a process,” Fitzgerald said. “No. 1, some young men internally make that position move. Maybe a corner or safety or wideout might fit better in the backfield. No. 2, you start to recruit to it.”

Not all coaches expect the traditional I-formation offense to become endangered. Michigan State coach Mark Dantonio said the tailback will “continue to carry the load in many ways.”

“We’ve always had a featured guy here and that guy has pulled the load. We will continue to recruit that position,” he said.

Interesting, however, that Michigan State ranked 11th in the Big Ten in rushing yards last season, when the Spartans finished 11-3 overall and 7-1 in the conference. Conversely, they ranked second in passing yards.

Wisconsin would seem to serve as an exception to the claim that college football has entered the “end of the tailback” era. The Badgers led the Big Ten in rushing last season behind tailback Montee Ball, who led the league with a 137.4-yard average a game.

But Wisconsin also led the conference (and ranked second nationally) in passing efficiency. The Badgers’ top two running backs — Ball and James White — combined for 39 catches. Ohio State’s top two backs, meanwhile, combined for 18 receptions.

That number likely will at least double under Meyer, who will give fans what for they have been saying they want: more balls thrown to running backs.

Even at Ohio State, the days of the tailback wagging the dog are numbered.